We know you don’t want to hear it yet, but summer’s end is just around the corner.

August will fly by in a flurry of beach days, dips in the pool and nights on the boardwalk. Lazy dinners on the deck and trips to the ice cream shop will be replaced by dinner on the go and the back-to-school rush.

So let’s make the most of what’s left: Enjoy the sun, relax in the sand, and indulge in the foods that define summer (besides Jersey produce, of course!).

Elephant ears

Chances are, you have never seen a pastry like this. At Crust and Crumb Bakery in Beach Haven, the 10- to 12-inch round of puff pastry is filled with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans, then rolled in sugar and baked. The result is a crispy, flaky confection (and it also comes in a mini size).

Be sure to get them while you can — the bakery will close for the season in November.

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Have you tried Coney Waffle's Fully Loaded Galaxy Cone yet? The multicolored cone is topped with cotton candy, gummy candies and a lollipop. Oh, and there's ice cream in there, too. Find it in Belmar, on the Asbury Park boardwalk and at Long Branch's Pier Village. COURTESY OF CONEY WAFFLE

Take the Parkway (then cross the bridge) to Long Beach Island for these elephant ears from Beach Haven's Crust and Crumb Bakery. The 10 inch-wide pastries are made from puff pastry baked with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans. COURTESY OF CRUST AND CRUMB BAKERY

Howard Sparks, who opened the restaurant in 1950, created the fried lobster tails as a way of setting his place apart from others on the island. It worked: More than seven decades later, the dish is still a favorite. COURTESY OF HOWARD'S RESTAURANT

Also on LBI, try the wings at The Chicken or the Egg in Beach Haven. The restaurant cooks up both breaded and non-breaded varieties and tosses them in one of 16 sauces. They go from teriyaki, the least spicy, to Ludicrous, which is made with cayenne and habanero peppers. FILE PHOTO

Hoffman's Ice Cream is a Jersey Shore staple; the shop dates back to the 1970s. This summer, they came up with something new: ice cream nachos. Pick your flavor and toppings and start dipping! Get them in Point Pleasant Beach, Spring Lake Heights, Little Silver and Long Branch. COURTESY OF HOFFMAN'S

Elizabeth Ryan, who owns the shop with her husband, Peter, picks peaches at Eastmont Orchards in Colts Neck. She purees them then turns them over to Ryan, who uses them to make their peach-flavored ice cream. FILE PHOTO

Sausage and peppers: The smell alone makes your mouth water from the other end of the boardwalk. At Tony's Sausage, Dogs and Cheese Steaks in Asbury Park, the sausages are made just for them by a New Jersey butcher. FILE PHOTO

Third-generation owner Kristina Bannon's grandfather, Anthony Segreto, launched the business during the early years of the San Gennaro festival in New York City's Little Italy. Bannon brought the family business to the Asbury Park boardwalk in 2011. FILE PHOTO

Maruca’s Tomato Pies is synonymous with boardwalk pizza - and with good reason: They have been around for more than 65 years. The family-owned business on the boards in Seaside Heights makes its pizzas with cheese on the bottom and sauce on top. FILE PHOTO

Further north is Pizza V on the Keansburg boardwalk. The 50-year-old shop only makes plain pies, and customers love them: "We have people that come from Florida to get the pizza because they grew up here and love our pizza," said James Carusotto, whose father, Anthony, is the owner. COURTESY OF CARLY VENA

"I grew up around Italian ice," Strollo's owner Jimmy Callano said. "My great-uncle used to sell lemon ice, and meatball and sausage sandwiches in the 1930s out of a bus on Morris Avenue in Long Branch." COURTESY OF Jimmy Callano

Some people dream of waves and sand, others dream of Monkey Bread. This sweet treat is a long-time tradition on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Monkey Bread can be found at 972 Boardwalk in Ocean City. The baked dessert, a spin on sticky buns, comes in nine flavors and is served with various toppings, including icing, chocolate sauce or fruit. The store also offers coffee, fruit smoothies and breakfast sandwiches. File Photo

Tired of ice cream, cotton candy and soda? The Bashful Banana Bakery and Café on the Ocean City Boardwalk has long been a can’t-miss for parents seeking healthier fare, vegans and vegetarians, and those just looking for a cool treat without all the junk. The café’s claim to fame is its Banana Whip, an ice-cold smoothie made from nothing but whipped frozen bananas. This healthy treat is also addictive, according to its many fans. Pictured is Shannon Brady. FILE PHOTO

When Joe D’Esposito opened Coney Waffle in Belmar a little more than a year ago, it was his waffled-wrapped ice cream that received all the attention.

Then came sideshow shakes, “a milkshake with ice cream piled on top and all kinds of (toppings) stuck to it, like giant lollipops, cotton candy, chocolate-covered potato chips or pretzels,” he said.

Now, there’s the Galaxy Cone. These hand-crafted waffle cones are made with swirls of multicolored batter, and in true Coney Waffle fashion, come fully loaded with cotton candy, skewers of gummy candy and a lollipop ($13.75). A “plain” version comes with two scoops of ice cream ($7.50).

It’s the age-old ice cream debate: cone or cup? A crispy cone is delicious, but the cup is perfect for dripping sauces and lots of toppings.

Hoffman’s Ice Cream, a Shore favorite for more than 40 years, has solved the problem with ice cream nachos, which are new this summer. Pick any ice cream flavor, hard or soft, then one syrup (hot fudge, chocolate, marshmallow, peanut butter or caramel) and sprinkles or one topping — wet walnuts, coconut, cookie dough, peanuts and so on. It all comes with bite-sized waffle cone wafers for dipping.

You probably have cracked open a lobster tail or two since Memorial Day. But have you tried the signature dish at Howard’s Restaurant on Long Beach Island?

In the 1950s, owner Howard Sparks wanted to make a dish that would set him apart from the other seafood restaurants on the island. French Fried Lobster was it.

The dish is made with lobster tails that are breaded and deep-fried, then served with drawn butter for dipping and lemon for squeezing over the top.

“It’s very rich and very decadent,” said Howard’s grandson, Kevin Sparks, who now runs the restaurant. “We use South African lobster, considered the best in the world. It’s very sweet, and nice and dense.

Howard’s Restaurant is at 33rd Street and Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach Island; call (609)492-2319 or visit www.howardsrestaurant.com.

Monkey Bread can be found on 972 Boardwalk in Ocean City. Here, the summer treat is served with icing. You can find a host of flavors and toppings at the boardwalk shop.(Photo: File Photo)

Monkey Bread

Some people dream of waves and sand, flip-flops and mini golf. Others dream of Monkey Bread.

This sweet treat is a long-time tradition on the Ocean City Boardwalk. The baked dessert, a spin on sticky buns, comes in nine flavors and is served with various toppings, including icing, chocolate sauce or fruit.

The store also offers coffee, fruit smoothies and breakfast sandwiches.

Banana whips and other healthy fare is served up from behind the counter of Bashful Banana Bakery & Café in Ocean City.(Photo: Courier-Post file)

Banana Whips

Going to the boardwalk doesn’t have to mean eating junk.

The Bashful Banana Bakery and Café on the Ocean City Boardwalk has long been a can’t-miss for parents seeking healthier fare, vegans and vegetarians, and those just looking for a cool treat without all the sugar.

The café’s claim to fame is its Banana Whip, an ice-cold smoothie made from nothing but whipped frozen bananas. This healthy treat is also addictive, according to its many fans. The cafe also offers a full menu, with many veggie options.

No Shore summer would be complete without a boardwalk visit for French fries, and readers love the spuds cooked up at Kuppers in Seaside Heights.

When we asked where to find the best fries at the Shore, readers shared their love for the spuds cooked up at Kuppers French Fries in Seaside Heights: “Without a doubt, the best fries the boardwalk has to offer,” wrote Leslie Carter of South Seaside Park. “Each order is freshly made, large portions every time, and the little crisps at the bottom of the cup ... well, we fight over them!”

Owner Desmond Hussey, who first began working at the stand when he was a teenager, “keeps it simple.” he said. He cuts Russet potatoes to order, blanches them and fries them in peanut oil. He serves his salted steak fries with Heinz ketchup and malt vinegar, mayo or ranch dressing, and they also come topped with cheddar and chili, bacon or gravy, or ranch dressing and bacon.

Kuppers is at 200 Boardwalk in Seaside Heights; visit Kuppers French Fries on Facebook.

TOM SPADER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERThe sausages served at Tony's Sausage, Dogs and Cheese Steaks in Asbury Park are made just for them by a New Jersey butcher.(Photo: Tom Spader / FILE PHOTO)

A sausage sandwich

The smell of sausages, peppers and onions sizzling on a flat-top has a certain magic to it: It can make your mouth water from the other end of the boardwalk.

The combination is irresistible: Just ask Kristina Bannon, who was born into a business built around Italian sausages. Her grandfather, Anthony Segreto, began selling sausage sandwiches in the 1940s during the Feast of San Gennaro in New York City’s Little Italy. More than seven decades later, Bannon brought the family business to the Asbury Park boardwalk.

Today, a North Jersey butcher makes the sausages — both hot and sweet — just for Tony’s, with a “special mix of pork and spices,” Bannon said.